Madden NFL 13 Connected Careers Preview

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Madden NFL 13 Preview

Submitted on: 06/07/2012 by Dustin Toms

When I first heard that the franchise and superstar modes were taken out of Madden NFL 13, I was livid. Why on Earth would you destroy the offline gamer’s dream? Not cool EA, not cool.

But after getting my hands on the game, I know exactly why they “ditched” the modes. Connected Careers is basically the three modes combined into one, creating what seems to be the most immersive football gaming experience to date. You may not understand it – I didn’t at first – but in time you will.

Connected Careers can be done as a player or as a coach. If you choose player, welcome to Superstar mode; choose coach, welcome to offline franchise. You can choose to create your own guy, choose an exisiting coach or select to be a Hall of Fame player/coach – e.g., John Madden and Jerry Rice – in their rookie season. Once you’ve chosen that option, the main screen will pop up in front of you with news from the league and fake Twitter feeds of your favorite analysts like Skip Bayless and Trey Wingo. The news, for example, does a great job of getting the player immersed in the league. It even takes into account what’s actually happening since I saw one slide talking about Drew Brees’ contract talks being stalled.

Also, there is now actual incentive to practice. By practicing, you earn experience points, which in turn grant your player or coach the option to get better. For a player you can increase attributes and for a coach you can increase your persuasive skills to have key free agents sign with your team. You can also practice in specific situations such as the 2-minute drill or even a three-touchdown deficit in the third quarter. And practice isn’t the only way to gain points: each player/coach has a set of goals per game and season that they need to accomplish. You accomplish them, you get points. If you underperform, you get fired/released. Which leads me to the next point.

If you get fired/released, you are not guaranteed a roster spot or a coaching job from another team. You can actually be unwanted by all 32 NFL teams. But if this does happen to you, you don’t have to give up. You can create a new coach and go to a new team in the same “franchise.” If you coached the Seahawks for seven years and your new guy gets hired by St. Louis, then you’ll enjoy pounding on the same Seattle team you controlled for so long. It really helps you stay connected in your very own world of the NFL.

Scouting has also improved a lot. Now you can see actual player ratings before the draft, and there are plenty of busts and gems. For example, I scouted a cornerback that was all over the news and Twitter and ranked No. 4 overall on the big board and he turned out to be garbage. His rating was 71; his speed was 75; his man and zone coverage were both in the 60s. He had bust written all over him. But without scouting him, anyone would have taken him in a heartbeat. Love it.

One of my personal favorite features added into the game is the fact that retired players and coaches can come out of retirement, including ones who are currently retired and not even in Madden NFL 12. I never saw any of this happen – it’s rare – but someone did see Kurt Warner come back. And let’s be honest, if this feature is in the game, so is Brett Favre.

When it comes down to it, Connected Careers is the heart and soul of this football game. The integration and immersion are very advanced to what we have ever seen in a sports game. If the replayability holds up the way the Madden team says, and the way I honestly feel, then we're all in for a long overdue football gaming experience.

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Member Comments

# 141 BrettCM06 @ 06/11/12 05:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeuceDouglas


	The way I had planned on doing it this year was basically letting the CPU do their own resigning and then before FA started, go through each team and address what their "Team Needs" are. And then based on who the FA were, each team would be in on players at positions they need. So if Mario Williams was a FA I would look at who needed DE's and all then put all of those teams, including mine if it was a need, into a hat and randomly draw. Is it authentic or realistic? No. But it was the best way I could come up with to pretty much take any bias out of it as well as make sure that I couldn't get whatever I wanted in FA.

I've never been one for going completely random. Being a Packers fan, I loathe free agency and only use it for adding depth. This alone usually takes most of the bias out of my decisions, as I don't consider my team as a player for most or all of the available free agents. Sometimes, when I've narrowed it down to maybe 2 or 3 teams that would realistically make the most sense and still can't choose, I'll try to picture the player's name on the back of each teams jersey and choose whichever one I think would look best lol.

# 142 TSLxx326 @ 06/11/12 01:09 PM

So in Madden 12, they revolutionized us with being able to edit any player in offline franchises or whatever, now they turn around and take it right back out? If they dont have a patch or tuber that adds the edit ability and import draft classes then both ncaa 13 amd madden 13 are no buys :/ was really looking forward to new sound and presentation.

# 143 Brownies23 @ 06/11/12 02:55 PM

Can you do a fantasy draft?

# 144 bichettehappens @ 06/11/12 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bucky60


	Connected Careers sounds great as an addition, but not as a replacement. They took some huge steps backwards along with their steps forwards. Stats based progression has always been the ultimate of anti-realism and user based progression is even worse. Also, taking away customization/editing everything in franchise mode is another step back. I'm going to wait until some guru at football-freaks comes up with some kind of editor for franchise, so we can at least counter the arcade idea of user based progression and/or stats based progression before I even think about purchasing Madden 13.

Wait.... Wait wait wait. So pre-programmed, automatic progression is MORE realistic? Is that what you're saying?

# 145 mwjr @ 06/11/12 05:55 PM

With regards to progression, if I don't spend or commit any XP to a player then he won't develop?

# 146 moneal2001 @ 06/11/12 05:56 PM

nope mwjr unless you set progression to auto

# 147 mwjr @ 06/11/12 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moneal2001


	nope mwjr unless you set progression to auto

That makes more sense. I couldn't figure out why people kept saying progression was no longer in there.

I suppose my next question is will there be enough points to help develop your whole team?

# 148 moneal2001 @ 06/11/12 06:09 PM

each player will gain their own xp based on their indavidual goals

# 149 bichettehappens @ 06/11/12 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bucky60


	A tad more realistic than "I want so and so to be good so I'll just gain XP points and make him good". And a calculated progression based on a bunch of factors, which would include things like position coaches, players potential in each category, system, head coach, work ethic, off season schedule, team and individual practice schedule, etc, etc, etc. My god, Chad Johnson couldn't even learn a playbook to be effective in NE. But we can make him really good by fudging a bunch of bogus XP points? H E double toothpics, Sierra Sports had at least some of this 15 years ago. But you want completely unrealistic, user and/or stats based progression instead of ENHANCING franchise mode and making it more realistic? Hey, I have nothing against arcade progression, if it's OPTIONAL. Let those that want arcade have it. Add Connective Careers or whatever it's called. I'm not against it. But do it as an addition, not as a replacement. We should have had some kind of simulated training camp/preseason practice schedule by now. We should have had positional coaches by now. And we should be using real life variables in a dynamic way for use in player progression. And everything in the game should be customizable. it should be as realistic as you want or as arcady as you want. Why in the world would you want me to want something as unrealistic as user and/or stats based progression?

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this issue then. To me, automatic progression of each player, as it was in M12 and prior, is entirely unrealistic. I don't think there's anything arcade about game & practice performance dictating a player's ratings considering that's exactly what dictates rating changes in the roster updates throughout the season and from year to year.

It is unrealistic for a player to jump from a 75 to an 81 despite hardly seeing the field simply because they have an A potential. With the old progression system, there was no such thing as a bust. JaMarcus Russell came into the game as an A potential, as he should have. By old Madden rules, he would progress to be a pro bowler no matter what. Now, if he doesn't perform up to his expectations, he doesn't progress to become the star the Raiders hoped.

I mean, there was a lengthy thread last year with people pointing out everything that was wrong with the old progression system. While this may not be an egalitarian solution, it's certainly an improvement. And in order to make Ochocinco progress, you would in turn be sacrificing XP (through more targets for 85) that other, younger players could be earning, considering that it's harder to improve an older veteran player than a young up-and-comer. But, that's up to the end user to decide who to focus on improving. I thought the people upset about the changes were feeling that way because they had less control, but the XP system gives them more control over progression than they've ever had...

# 150 BrettCM06 @ 06/11/12 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TSLxx326


	So in Madden 12, they revolutionized us with being able to edit any player in offline franchises or whatever, now they turn around and take it right back out? If they dont have a patch or tuber that adds the edit ability and import draft classes then both ncaa 13 amd madden 13 are no buys :/ was really looking forward to new sound and presentation.

Exactly my point that everyone attacked me for making. They keep taking away more and more of our control over our own games and instead sell us tweaked versions of recycled features. On a side note, I'll be curious to see how badly NCAA 13's sales are affected by not having the option to import draft classes, as the game personally has no value to me personally now whatsoever.

# 151 Outkizast @ 06/11/12 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrettCM06


	Exactly my point that everyone attacked me for making. They keep taking away more and more of our control over our own games and instead sell us tweaked versions of recycled features. On a side note, I'll be curious to see how badly NCAA 13's sales are affected by not having the option to import draft classes, as the game personally has no value to me personally now whatsoever.

I personally have NEVER skipped buying NCAA and Madden every year. But I'm not buying NCAA this year for 2 reasons: No infinity engine (doubt I could go back to NCAA after playing Madden) and no import draft classes.

# 152 bichettehappens @ 06/11/12 09:46 PM

Yeah we're just going to have to agree to disagree, it is what it is.

# 153 speedy9386 @ 06/11/12 10:42 PM

I think I'm gonna like the new progression system way more than the last one seeing as how it's all judged by what the player actually does as opposed to being destined for greatness no matter what. I see nothing wrong with a player setting a reasonable goal, accomplishing it, and becoming better because of it. It makes sense to me.

# 154 IWWROCKS @ 06/12/12 09:28 AM

Sorry if it's been asked before but regarding the created player...

Say 2-3 seasons in I create a QB I want to control. I can set him as a 1st round pick right?

Do I then pick the team too, or does he get drafted by the computer?

I'm hoping he gets drafted as AI players would but I gotta feeling it won't be like that.

# 155 87Birdman @ 06/12/12 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bucky60


	It's not what I declare, it's how things work in real life that define realism. XP points and picking and choosing who improves and how much does not happen in real life. In real life, stats don't make some one improve. In real life, players ability and knowledge progresses, and that drives performance. XP points and some guy with a joystick doesn't drive a players progression in real life. That's not me defining anything. That's how things actually work. That defines realism.

I understand where you are coming from, but if I remember from what i heard the new system also creates different goals for what is needed to get the XP. That right there is what to me helps enhance from what was last year, because it was easy to find the good players and they would progress no matter what so you could trade a guy knowing full well what was going to happen.

This way yes it is cause and effect, but so are the ratings anyways, look at how much they change during the season, it just the way it is. Some players will have different goals to achieve depending where they are on the depth chart and where they are drafted which if done correctly could be great.

And if they do it right for raising stats then that would be a huge plus. Because if you can max things easily then that would be terrible, but if it could take an entire season to raise it one point to push a stat closer to 99 then that is going to be a great feature. So that means if you really want a guy with 99 speed, well he will be terrible at everything else which is really what it is in real life. Guys with a lot of speed doesn't really excel at anything else. And if they make the physical traits harder to raise that adds even more realism to it.

But this is the first year of the new system so hopefully they can keep expanding on it so it becomes more life like.

# 156 mwjr @ 06/12/12 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moneal2001


	each player will gain their own xp based on their indavidual goals

So if I'm a coach then all of the players on my team will have individual goals? From the all-pro 1st stringer to the 5th Olineman on my team?

# 157 mwjr @ 06/12/12 12:21 PM

I'm starting to think I'm getting too old for this %^$#@!

I just want them to combine NFL Head Coach 09 with Madden 2004.

# 158 moneal2001 @ 06/12/12 12:23 PM

exactly mwjr

# 159 andrew88gilmer @ 06/12/12 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Buford


	The only thing that I'm confused about is "retiring" players. If I start my career as Andrew Luck and then decide to retire him to take a coaching job, is he literally retired and removed from the NFL entirely?

no he goes straight to being cpu controlled and then you choose a new coach or player. hne isn't literally retired, but if you create your own player and then you retire him he is literally retired from the league.
I hope this helped.

# 160 ComfortablyLomb @ 06/12/12 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bichettehappens


	Wait.... Wait wait wait. So pre-programmed, automatic progression is MORE realistic? Is that what you're saying?

In practice, yes, so long as you cannot see with certainty exactly how good the player will become. If actual peak ratings are hidden then players and draft classes can be calibrated to work properly. You could even make performance and playing time impact rate of progression within parameters for each player. The issue has been seeing A-B-C potential and know it's true.

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